Pear Custard Pie
Sweet pears in an eggy vanilla custard, Pear Custard Pie is a quick and tasty recipe that is perfect for a holiday brunch or light dessert.
Do your holidays go like mine? House guests come in and out over an extended period, making for a lot of fun and festive days. Along with lots of great food!
So why not wake up to something special, like this Pear Custard Pie. It will start the day on a festive note, but is easy, with little working time. The custard even whips up in the blender! Umm, anyone besides me conserving energy now?
It’s even a bit healthier than your classic coffee cake. But you can’t tell, I promise.
This recipe comes from Martha Stewart and the only change I made was to reduce the eggs by one. A commenter wished it was less egg-y and I could tell (by comparison to past recipes) that it would still thicken with one less, so I made that change. I generally prefer a creamier (vs eggier) taste in my custards anyway.
The result was a mildly sweet and flavorful dish that was un-sweet enough for my husband (don’t ask how many pieces he had) while still qualifying as treat-like. And if you are already starting to get slightly, well, sugared-out, but can’t quite give it up, it’s perfect.
I’m planning to pair it with homemade breakfast sausage patties for a fun breakfast sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Of course I’d also serve this as an after dinner dessert in an instant. You know when you want just a taste of something that isn’t too heavy? There’s always room for ice cream, err… fruit desserts!
Though it’s the holidays now, this is also a great any season dessert. But in the meantime, best wishes for a joyous holiday season to all.

Pear Custard Pie
Ingredients
- 3 pears
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 F
- Butter or spray a 9-inch pie dish. Core pears, then slice 1/4 inch thick lengthwise (I didn’t peel mine). Arrange slices, overlapping slightly, in a circle in the buttered pie pan.
- In a blender, process remaining ingredients, except powdered sugar, until smooth.
- Pour batter over pears. Bake until slightly golden and firm to touch, about 40 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if desired.
Nutrition
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This looks DIVINE! I love the combination of pear and custard. Creamy and sweet. It’s a perfect dessert for holidays or special dinners. Or just because!
It’s easy enough for “just because” even! That’s the real beauty!
This is so unusual. I’ve never seen this method before but it looks good.
Wishing you and your family a blessed festive season
Thanks Tandy–hope your holidays are going well.
Such a pretty and elegant pie! I love pears.
Thanks–and I so agree about the pears!
Thank you, Inger. This is the perfect dessert for our Christmas! Mark (who is driving me crazy) is giving up sweet desserts. But he might just eat this (as your husband did)! The thing I like best about this – no crust! Not only does that make it easier, but it’s much healthier. I will report back!
Made this last night (better late than never!) with a few little tweaks – peeled the pears (AZ fruits and veggies have tougher skins!), mixed in a little almond extract, and used a little cream mixed with the milk (so I didn’t waste the 1/4 cup of cream I had leftover…) – it was fantastic! If it’s okay with you, I would love to post (giving you credit, of course) in January!
So glad you enjoyed David! Would be delighted if you posted (as would Martha Stewart I imagine)!
Ha! I much prefer to give you the credit!
Oooh, this with sausage sounds delicious, and I’m sure everyone loves pie for breakfast!
You know that’s this tough part of food blogging–it turns your kids into critics 😉 . But no complaints here!
This is so pretty! And I love that it is simple too. I never think of cooking with pears, but I really enjoy the texture and flavor better when baked.
I just made it again and it went even faster the second time. Plus I left it in the oven a bit too long and the custard didn’t break–just got more golden and flavorful. Definitely a keeper!
Wow! This looks amazing, Inger!! I love pears. What kind do you recommend using?
I used Bosc, but really I think anything will work. Enjoy!